Why women have the hots for unattractive men

Published: Monday, January 28, 2008, 16:14 [IST]

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Melbourne, Jan 28 : Ever wondered why women have the hots for unattractive men? Well, a new study has unlocked the mystery, by suggesting that women give less importance to looks, in comparison with power, wealth and status, when it comes to choosing their man.

The study has uncovered the actual laws of attraction, and also explained why not so good-looking men like Andrew Upton, Billy Joel, Lyle Lovett and Donald Trump get gorgeous women.

The study, by leading psychologist and author Viren Swami, found that women don't necessarily prefer physical appearance but, rather, power, wealth and status.

"It's not that looks don't matter to women; they simply matter less than other things - in particular, signals of money and security," the Daily Telegraph quoted Swami, as saying.

The study, reported in Swami's book The Psychology Of Physical Attraction, also found that we're superficial when it comes to waistlines - because it's not thinness but the WHR - waist-hip ratio - that is key to attracting men.

Co-author Adrian Furnham explained that the lower the WHR the better.

He added that female figures such as those of Scarlett Johansson and Marilyn Monroe are seen as the most enviable.

"We've all evolved to find other humans attractive. But the cues for recognising beauty have changed over the years," Furnham said.

"We still look out for things like signs of health; a symmetrical face is attractive because people associate it with healthy people who produce healthy children.

"These days, we judge people first by their body size and then by facial characteristics," he added.